Susac leads Giants to sweep of Phillies
SAN FRANCISCO -- Andrew Susac's three-run homer fueled San Francisco's four-run outburst in Sunday's fourth inning, which led the Giants to a 4-2 triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies. The outcome completed the Giants' first three-game sweep of Philadelphia at AT&T Park since Sept. 4-6, 2000.
• Susac shakes off slump in finale
Giants rookie Chris Heston yielded Philadelphia's first run and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings while winning his third decision in a row in a span of five starts. Heston has compiled a 2.00 ERA in this stretch.
Heston is 9-5 with a 3.39 ERA overall, virtually identical to the corresponding statistics for acknowledged staff ace Madison Bumgarner (9-5, 3.33). Heston said that his "friendly rivalry" with Bumgarner "gives me a guy to chase."
The Phillies generated insufficient support for starter Chad Billingsley (1-3). Philadelphia got on the board in the seventh inning as Ryan Howard's bloop single scored Maikel Franco, who made a quick, early break from first base with two outs. Howard had another RBI single in the ninth off Santiago Casilla.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
Belt beats it: Brandon Belt made the Giants' four-run fourth inning possible by hustling to first base, thus beating out the back end of a potential double-play grounder. That prolonged the inning for Brandon Crawford's RBI single and Susac's homer.
Video: PHI@SF: Crawford knocks an RBI single to open scoring
Double trouble: When you have the worst record in baseball, runs don't come easily. They are even harder to come by when guys are making two outs with one swing. The Phillies hit into three double plays in the first four innings, erasing multiple scoring chances early on against Heston.
Video: PHI@SF: Posey fields bunt to start tough double play
Oh-for-Osich: Rookie left-hander Josh Osich remained exceedingly effective for the Giants, striking out pinch-hitter Jeff Francoeur on a 95-mph fastball to strand runners on second and third in the seventh inning. Osich, who also pitched a perfect eighth, has thrown 5 1/3 scoreless innings in a span of six appearances since being promoted from Triple-A Sacramento.
Video: PHI@SF: Osich strikes out Francoeur to end the threat
1-2-3: The Phillies' Ken Giles continued to establish himself as the team's heir to closer Jonathan Papelbon. Giles threw a scoreless eighth inning, making the Giants 3-4-5 hitters look silly with three straight strikeouts. The right-handed flamethrower lowered his season ERA to 1.86. More >
WHAT'S NEXT
Phillies: After the All-Star break, the club returns home to open a three-game series against the Miami Marlins on Friday night. Left-hander Adam Morgan makes his fourth career start as he squares off against the Marlins' Jose Fernandez. Morgan is 1-2 with a 4.32 ERA in his rookie season.
Giants: San Francisco will begin the theoretical second half by visiting the D-backs, who have designs on leapfrogging the Giants to occupy second place in the National League West. The three-game series begins Friday at Chase Field.
Watch every out-of-market regular season game live on MLB.TV.